Match Report - Halflings vs Halflings

Hello!

After a bit of a hiatus, the Fiery Fowlers have come back to the Bloodbowl field! This time, they returned to the Taylored Games Arena to play once more against Coach George. With a one all record against his various teams so far, this time it was a decider, and the Fowlers were up against the only team in Bloodbowl as hungry as they are - other Halflings!

As is tradition, George's team (let's call them the Greyfield Gobblers) consisted of an unhealthy palid looking group with uniforms matching their skin tone. Obviously they had not been getting their five a day! The 'flings were accompanied by two treemen who at least had some colour to their complexion, but weirdly insisted on saying 'I am Groot' over and over. His team also sprinkled a few of the new Halfling special positionals in there for added flavour - they didn't really do a lot though so that's probably the last you'll hear of them in this report.

The Fiery Fowlers started with the kick, and we were off! The Greyfield Gobblers quickly retrieved the balls and, amongst ineffectual treemen fights, we prepared for the first Halfling throw of the game. He didn't land on his feet and the ball was soon grabbed by the Fowlers.

Moving around the flank, we quickly found that it's pretty hard to keep Halflings out of a cage. The ball was dropped and the Gobblers were in position to grab it...

But the Fiery Fowlers are a tough bunch, and in a rare show they out muscled their opposition! Many Greyfield 'flings were flung into the crowd!

By the end of the drive the Gobblers had almost been cleared off the pitch entirely! Touchdown for the Fowlers, but as is the case with Halfling teams, there are usually plenty of them so there was no danger of the Gobblers running out of players.

With time running out in the first half, the Fowlers kicked again, and managed to get the ball back without too much trouble. Second Halfling throw attempt saw three of the little guys knocked over and no touchdown.

Back for the second half, and the Fiery Fowlers were given the ball. They quickly formed up against a very aggressive Greyfield team for a throw attempt.

But the tree fumbled, dropping the poor 'fling on his head (even with a reroll!) The Fowlers held position against the Gobbler's advances, ready to try again with another Halfling, but the tree obviously had some slippery branches, because he dropped the Halfling again!

It was enough of an opportunity for the Gobblers, who were by this stage pretty well camped in the opposition half. They got the ball chucked up the field and safely caught. With backup they were able to keep on their feet long enough to get the touchdown.

All squared up at one all, and the Fowlers were receiving. The Gobblers formed into the deep 'throw protection' line. They and the ticking clock put the pressure on to force the throw...

A Fowler 'fling got up the field with the ball, but he wasn't able to reach the endzone. The Gobblers pounced greedily on their chance...

One more successful treeman throw in the dying seconds of the game and the little Halfling went for it as fast as his little feet would carry him, just about making it into the endzone before the whistle. (That four was the Go For It roll required for the touchdown.)

A Win for Coach George and the Greyfield Gobblers, and another loss for the Fiery Fowlers. They are pretty used to it by now, but of course it still left a bitter taste in their mouths. Oh well, I'm sure the after match feast was glorious!

George and I had a lot of fun with this one. Halflings are a weird team to play against, and now we've both had that experience. Most of the standard Bloodbowl tactics go out the window and you pretty much have to rely on punching them and hope the dice don't fall well for their throws. The new GW minis are also very nice, I'm sure they would look good with a bit of paint on them...

Match Report - The Fiery Fowlers (Halflings) vs Nurgle

Hello!

Merry Christmas everyone! (Or alternative holiday greeting if you prefer.) Now that it is officially Christmas (Noddy said so), it's time for a festive treat. And what could embody the spirit of Christmas more than a game of Blood Bowl?

Yes, that's right, Halfling heroes The Fiery Fowlers have been back in action, working up a bit of an appetite for the end of season feast. Hot off a narrow defeat to Goblins (back in October), the Fowlers were looking for their first win against a Nurgle team coached by George, formerly of the Injection Molded Marauders. George assured me that one day he would have a painted Bloodbowl team, however today was not that day. We had a brief and non-conclusive discussion about a team name for the new boys, but I think I will call them the Pallid Pugilists.

Before the game however, it was time to get into character...

That that out of the way, it was time to play some Bloodbowl! We played to 1000 TV, George's team were taking to the field with no skills, while I had just the one, Break Tackle on Treeman Rowan Greenleaf to make up the TV a bit. We rolled up all the pre-game stuff, it turns out the Halfling fans didn't want to travel because they were outnumbered more than two-to-one by the Chaos crowd. The weather result justified that, a very seasonal blizzard. Finally, the Pallid Pugilists got to receive the ball first.

Kick off with the Fiery Fowlers spreading out across their half, and the Nurgle players lining up to stomp forward. The ball was recovered easily by one of the Pestigor and the offence began...

The two tress started doing some damage, but the Pugilists pushed up the flank with the ball. The Fowlers dropped into a tentative screen to try and keep them at bay. Several Halflings fell as the Chaos players slowly pushed up. A touchdown looked inevitable... 

Time for some hero plays! Dodging left and right, Gilbert Smoothands and Randy Butternibs combined to get a spicy tackle on the ball carrier. In an unlikely turn of events (2 dice uphill) the goat fell and the ball bounced off the pitch and was thrown back in (apparently by one of the few Halfling fans) right in position for Sam Copperkettle to grab it and make his way back towards the Nurgle end zone!

Copperkettle proved much too slippery for the Nurgle players who managed to get back to block his path, though some of the other 'flings were less fortunate, finding themselves flattened under the bulk of the chaos warriors.

With time ticking down on the first half, the Fowlers ran in for an incredibly unlikely Touchdown! For the first time in history, the Fiery Fowlers were winning a game!

In the second half, the Halflings were receiving the ball. The Pallid Pugilists had kindly left some gaps for thrown 'flings to land in, but in the unusual situation of actually being ahead meant that might not be the best option.

The ball landed far on the flank, and the Fowlers quickly swarmed around it, followed shortly after by Nurgle players.

As it happened, the tree-powered touchdown plan went out the window pretty quick as the Nurgle team managed to chop down the Treemen and keep them on the floor for most of the half. Their focus on the big guys did let the little ones pick up the ball and put a lot of (admittedly very small) bodies between it and the opposition.

With time ticking away, the Halfings danced away from the slow moving, disturbingly smelly noose that was closing around them. They just needed to hold on a little longer...

Things started to get messy as the bloated warriors started to throw their considerable weight around. Having fowled one of the Trees off the pitch, the Pugilists were able to commit even more players to the squeeze onto the ball carrier. One of the rotters got himself into position to shamble in for the draw if the Halflings should drop the ball.

It got tighter and tighter, but the plucky Halflings were able to dodge and dive around the Nurgle tackles and as the ref was getting ready to blow his whistle, they found an opening to rush the ball back down the pitch to safety. The whistle blew and Piggy Beefteeth's men celebrated their first victory! The end of match feast never tasted so sweet!

An interesting game for sure. The lack of skills on the basic Nurgle players was really their downfall here, that and some good rolls for me. So many times George got two or three dice tackles and was unable to roll a defender down result, with dodge ignoring the stumbles and both down being an issue without block on the hard hitters. The ability to move through all the tackle zones with Stunties meant that George could not make a truly safe cage in the first half, opening him up for my insane hero play. This was probably about the best match up I could have hoped for with the 'flings, but it still did require some good luck to pull off that win. But I'll take it!

Match Report - The Fiery Fowlers (Halflings) vs The Hokkar Loogies (Goblins)

Hello!

Recently the Fiery Fowlers (Sponsored by Nan Doe's Spicy Chicken) took to the field on their home turf in the first game of a long term ladder league thing. This was both their first home game and their first game with real consequences - if a player dies, he dies! In the unlikely event that anyone does something notable enough to earn star player points, they might actually gain a useful skill, maybe.

After their first game against Dark Elves at the Taylored Games Stadium went somewhat badly, this time they picked on someone their own size, a Goblin team known as the Hokkar Loogies. Boasting a pair of trolls and a host of illegal weapons, the sneaky, slimy Loogies were a little surprised to find themselves playing the role of the faster, more heavily armoured team.

In perfect Bloodbowl weather we kicked off! The Fiery Fowlers receiving the ball first.

The middle of the pitch quickly turned into a big guy shoving match. The Treemen, Ash Oldvine and Rowan Greenleaf proved too strong for the Trolls (one of which looking suspiciously like a Minotaur) and attracted the attention of a fanatic and a chainsaw.

Mid way through the first half and the Halfling's tiny legs carry the ball nearly into the Goblin half! The Trees were doing good work in the middle, proving capable of both hitting things and standing up (a tough ask for a tree), but with a goblin out there bouncing around on a Squig (counting as a pogo stick) the Halfling cage around the ball was never going to be safe.

Sure enough that jumpy gobbo leaped right into the cage and messed everything up. He grabbed hold of the ball, and it fell to the captain, Piggy Beefteeth, to smack him with his trusty bottle for a KO.

With time running out in the first half it was time to get the Halfling with the ball into the reach of a Treeman and throw him towards the end zone. The throw was good, but the landing wasn't - the double 6 was for the injury roll. The half ended 0-0.

Second half and the pogo/squig rider goblin gets the ball again. There is a big mess of Stunty players dodging around each other to surround the ball, but blocks on the carrier are unsuccessful. Eventually the dodging failed for the Hokkar Loogies as one of the Goblins tripped and fell on a sharp rock (or possibly a stale baguette) killing himself instantly.

In spite of the set back the ball managed to make it to the end zone and the Goblins went 1-0 up. There were plenty of Halflings off the field at this stage, but with more lining up to get in on the after match feast, the Fiery Fowlers were able to field almost a full strength team for the last drive...

It's deep in the second half and the Halflings have the ball again. Not trusting their little legs to take them to the end zone, they caged up around the ball behind the Treemen, waiting for the opportunity to go airborne.

With Goblins and Trolls all over the pitch and Rowan Greenleaf falling over and refusing to get up, it turned to Ash Oldvine to make the throw. Once again it was a good one, but, as before, the Halfling landed on his head.

A last turn attempt to throw another 'fling at the ball carrier and into the end zone failed (the tree's fingers were obviously covered in slippery Goblin blood as he dropped the Halfling), leaving the final score 1-0 to the Hokkar Loogies.

A good, Halfling supporting crowd meant the Fiery Fowlers earned enough money to purchase a 4th reroll, and Rowan Greenleaf was awarded the MVP for squashing a Goblin. In training he later learned how to use his strength to break through opponent's puny tackle attempts. To add to the good news, only two of the Halflings suffered permanent, career threatening injuries! Captain Piggy Beefteeth developed a niggling injury, but he is a veteran campaigner and will soldier on! Gilbert Smoothands however managed to break something important (I think from landing on it) and suffered a reduction in strength (down to 1). A good day out was had by all! (Apart from that Goblin who died...)

The Fiery Fowlers’ First Foray onto the Field

Hello!

Just came back from a fun week visiting friends and family in sun-soaked south Devon. During this time I managed to fit in a game of Blood Bowl at a lovely new games shop that has popped up since I last visited - Taylored Games in Kingsbridge. On the off chance that anyone reading this is in the area but hasn't already been in the shop, I thoroughly recommend it. Staff and customers were very friendly and welcoming (to humans and dogs) and they have a good range of nerd stuff.

So back to the Blood Bowl. The Fiery Fowlers (Sponsored by Nan Doe's Spicy Chicken) took to the field for a 'friendly' against an as yet unnamed Dark Elf team, coached by George. Given their current unbranded grey kit and their palid grey skin, I shall refer to them as the Injection Molded Marauders. 

Apologies in advance for the extra poor camera work on this one. The goblin snapper had shaky hands.

The Injection Molded Marauders received first and set up very aggressively, moving quickly up the flank. Flawless passing and pick ups got the ball moving quickly across the field.

I think these two brave 'flings got the Fowler's first removal - KO-ing an elf trying to move up the other side.

However this couldn't be replicated on the ball carrier, who managed to break free of the Halflings nibbling at his knees to run in the first Touchdown.

Upon receiving the ball the Fiery Fowlers tried to get the ball protected and moving up the field, but they were soon overwhelmed by the elf Marauders who quickly relocated almost entirely into the Halfling side of the pitch. Without the room to amble slowly up the field, the Fowlers got the ball carrier up to one of the mighty Treemen and flung him deep down towards the end zone. Sadly he landed on his head, which quickly led to another Dark Elf Touchdown.  

At the end of the first half the Fowlers had another go, and so nearly made it. I failed the Go For It roll into the end zone for the thrown Halfling having already used my reroll to dodge the ball carrier away from some elves. I then remembered the Halflings have dodge so I could have used that and saved the reroll. Oops.

For the second half the goblin got distracted by the Halfling Chef and only took the one usable photo. The Fowlers finally got points on the board with a third thrown Halfling. This was followed up later in the half with a fourth and a second touchdown for the Fowlers, though the IMM scored another as well. I remembered the Dodge skill and made good use of it to move the 'flings around the place and out of the grasps of those naughty elves. George had his elves get all up in my little Halfling faces, causing several injuries, though one of the Trees punched back hard, grinding one of the Line-elves into the dirt.

In the last turns of the game the Elves broke into the Fowler half with the ball once more. A spirited defense put the runner under pressure and knocked the ball off the pitch, but the bounce was sadly not enough for the 'flings to recover and score, allowing the Dark Elves to pick up, blitz through the defenders and score again. The Final Score: 4-2 to the Injection Molded Marauders in both Touchdowns and Casualties. Handshakes all round, beer out of the chiller, chicken off the grill. A defeat, but a fighting one and all things considered not a bad start for the Fiery Fowlers!

The Fiery Fowlers

Hello!

I recently finished painting the Halfling Blood Bowl team I've been working on, and I thought I'd show them off, along with their assorted accompaniments. But firstly, I finally settled on a name... Introducing The Fiery Fowlers (Sponsored by Nan Doe's Spicy Chicken)...

As previously mentioned here, this team is a kickstarter job from Star Player Miniatures. Also included were some dice, some markers and a pitch, as seen below:

The Fiery Fowlers will be ably assisted by their cheerleaders, the apothecary (well, tree surgeon) and of course the trusty chef!

The Star Player, liberating some lovely sausages from an unappreciative goblin.

The Mighty Treemen, numbers 2 and 3 doing tree stuff.

The Captain, Piggy Beefteeth (leading this lot will require some aid from the bottle), and players 4-9 line up.

Players 10-16 running and diving for the lunch line.